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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · hand · firm · rush · rash · toast · racket · degree

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rock — music
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. firm — decided
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — a series
  14. rock — a stone
  15. toast — bread
  16. firm — a company
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. degree — temperature
  24. firm — steady

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com